Chrestomanci Book 5: Seven Worlds of Magic
by Jajuka
Summary: Taks place after all books, when Fordge and his sister stay with Chrestomanci they learn that magic alone can't save everything from being torn apart.
1. Chapter One

Chrestomanci book 5:

I have placed this here, because Diana Wynne Jones wrote both the Dalemark, and Chrestomanci Quartets. So, though it only barely belongs here, there's no Chrestomanci place. Thank you.

Chrestomanci book 5:

Seven Worlds of Magic

I

It was barely appealing to Fordge as he sat on the window seat.

"It's not at all interesting. I don't see how anyone on Earth could want to see it." He told his sister Darlah.

"Oh, but it's _most_ interesting, really! You just won't give it a chance like everyone else." She protested.

Fordge sighed and sat up straight. 

"Oh, all right, though it doesn't seem to be anything to throw a party over." He mumbled.

Forge was a normal boy with a normal life except for one fact: his family could do magic.

There was a long line of Magicians and Witches in his family past, and as far as he was concerned, he didn't even make it to being a Wizard. That was one reason why he never liked magic much. If he couldn't do it well, what was the point in doing it at all?

Darlah, on the other hand, was almost an Enchanter; her magic was so strong. It didn't bother Fordge that she was better then him. Everyone was better then him, he only cared that he couldn't do it well, so there was no point that he could see.

"If we are to go to Great Britain this weekend and stay with Chrestomanci at his beautiful castle for the summer, we must be in top shape!" Darlah told him off for his lack of enthusiasm.

"You must be, I really don't care if I make a fool of myself. It's nothing too important anyway. All I want to do is see Auntie Mary." He lied, and Darlah knew it. He hated Auntie Mary.

"Well, if you're going to behave so immaturely about it, maybe you can just stay behind.

Fordge glared at her and she momentarily struggled to keep her hair in place. If Fordge could do any magic at all, he could only mess up someone's hair with the slightest blow of his eyes.

"See? You can do magic if you really want too!" she said trying very hard to stop her gold curls from spewing out all over the place.

"I suppose."

"This could even be enchanters magic too, you know." She said, trying to please him.

It was a good thing that his tea was not being drank at that moment, or else it would have been spit all over the floor as he burst into laughter, letting Darlah's hair go free.

"Thank you dear." She said kindly, sitting down to drink out of her own cup.

Ireland was a beautiful green that time of year as the two of them sat gazing out onto the fields that lead into the Haunted Woods.

"Are they really haunted?" Darlah had asked Fordge in awe before.

"Of course! All woods are haunted, but this one actually is the worst of all of the Haunted Woods in all of the worlds!" Fordge said waving his arms dramatically for emphasis.

"I like it when you do things like that!" she giggled.

But he didn't do those things anymore. That was when everything and everyone gave off the feeling of summer because of the magic that they held. It had all seemed to fade away after a wonderful few years of his life. Then he stopped really believing. He felt hollow.

"Remember that night we saw that strange figure walking into the Woods?" Darlah asked suddenly, snapping Fordge back to the present.

"Uh, yes." He said calmly.

"And you were brave and went after them into the forest to tell them it was dangerous?" Darlah was looking at his glazed face as he stared into the darkness of the trees. "That was when you changed." She said suddenly.

"Changed? What do you mean by that!" he demanded.

"Well, night after night, day after day you seemed to become…Hollow."

"And that means?"

"Oh Fordge! You just don't care anymore. This has been going on for years, and I want to know what happened to the old you?" she said sharply. Fordge looked at her in surprise.

"Aren't I just like I was three years ago?" he asked her.

"No Fordge, you're not. Not like what you used to be at all." And Darlah stood up and walked to the door. There she paused and turned to him.

"We are leaving on Thursday. I will leave you in here to try and get your magic act together. Please Fordge, do it for me?" and then she left without another word.

Yeah it's short, but a new chapter will be placed up every week. I want to finish it now, but I don't have that kind of patience. Please R/R, say whatever, tell me it's crap (it's only the first chapter, I have the plot all planned out, it should be really cool.)


	2. Chapter Two

II

II

The week went by much faster then that Fordge would have liked. He really didn't want to go to some stupid castle anyway. All he would be doing there was learning to unleash his magical talents so entirely, that not only would he be able to mess up peoples hair, he would be able to tie their shoestrings together at the same time.

Darlah didn't see this view. She told this to Fordge, but being only eight, he didn't take her opinions to heart. Instead he would just look at her and smile a smile that said; "Maybe when you're older I'll allow you to talk seriously to me."

She didn't like this too much, but as they boarded the train to leave, something happened that she didn't think would: Fordge listened to her.

"I don't think we should sit here in this car." She whispered to him, as they looked around at all of the unfamiliar faces.

"Nor do I." he said. "Darlah, come quickly. I want you to stay very close to me. I have a bad feeling about these people." He then led her through the long car, trying to ignore the many people who concealed lumpy objects under their coats. He soon led her to the end of the car and opened the door to the next, as soon as the train began moving.

They walked into a car filled with three people. All of them were in rather nice clothes, and looking happy to see them for some reason. There were two men and one lady.

"Hello," the younger man said. He was maybe five years older then Fordge was himself, and had loose blonde hair.

"Uh, hello." Fordge said uneasily. "My name is Fordge Mackeely, who, may I ask are you?" he wanted to make a good impression of himself, for these were obviously very important people.

"My friends call me Cat." The boy said.

"I'm Gabriel." The girl said a little shyly. "And this here is our Uncle, Chrestomanci." She said indicating the third and most dashing of them all.

"Ohhhh! The real Chrestomanci?" Darlah squealed.

Chrestomanci looked a bit annoyed, and it was apparent by the smiles on Cat and Gabriel's faces, that they enjoyed putting him in these situations.

"You must be excited to come and stay with us at my castle." He said polietly. "I do suppose that you are Darlah?" he asked.

"Oh yes! I am!" she said feeling light headed that the Chrestomanci would know her name.

"I was happy to receive your letter Miss." He said kindly.

"Letter?" Fordge asked curiously, eyeing his sister maliciously.

"Uh, Mr. Chrestomanci, what will we be doing in our stay at your estate?" Darlah asked suddenly, happy to change the subject.

"What letter?" Fordge repeated again, trying to sound patient.

"You know, your sister telegraphed me. It was about you." Chrestomanci said.

"And?" Fordge asked evilly.

"Uh, are you feeling quite up to some tea Mr. Mackeely?" Cat asked, seeing that no one would remain in one piece if they lingered on the subject.

Fordge soon found that no matter how much he tried to, he just couldn't seem to get anything else from the others of the small party on the letter about him.

"How did you manage to send him a letter?" Fordge asked Darlah pulling aside for a moment.

"I just used my magic." She shrugged. That wasn't what he meant, but after that, he was left in the dark.

They talked and laughed, and Fordge noticed they all (except Darlah) gave him sad looks, that seemed to say they were wondering why he was so calm and uninterested in magic…

…Unless they knew the truth.

No! They could never know the truth.

Fordge slipped slowly from his seat and onto the floor, where he curled up into a little ball and started to cry.

Chrestomanci had been interrupted by a sharp cry from Fordge. They stopped and watched dead silent as he turned ghost white and fell into a heap on the car floor.

Chrestomanci was immediately at his side as he started to become glazed eyed with trauma.

"Fordge, it's okay, you don't have to worry, it's okay, we're here to protect you." He tried to soothe him.

"I don't want to go back." Fordge barely whispered. "I can't go back there, don't let them take me back there…." He was ridged with terror.

"Where? Where do they want to take you?" he asked the shaking boy. The others stood by helpless except Darlah, who had managed to place his head on her lap and stroke his hair.

"I don't want to go back there."

"We won't let them take you there, but first we need to know where that is." Chrestomanci said sternly.

"The Woods. Please, stop them! PLEASE!" Fordge started screaming.

"What's wrong with the Woods?" Chrestomanci asked Darlah.

"They're the Haunted Woods of Ireland." She said sadly. "He goes into these sprees of fear often." Her hand still ran through Fordge's dark hair.

"And has he been there before?" he pressed.

"Yes, but the funny thing is he came out."

"What's so funny about coming out of a forest?"

"No one comes back out after they enter that Wood."

"Never?"

"Never…"

So, it's a little dramatic for the second chapter, but it's really important. Oh, great, I'll have to do Chapter Three soon, because I forgot the people in the car before, but then again, I thought this was a good place to end. It should be done by Friday, so keep checking. Please, R/R. Whoo hoo! Thanks! :O~ that's me barfing, it may not have anything to do with anything, but hey, if you're officially creeped out, this should at least lift your spirits a little!

"A"


	3. Chapter Three

Okay, so the last part with Janet/Gwendolen was confusing

Okay, so the last part with Janet/Gwendolen was confusing? I'll explain it in this:

III

They had arrived at the Castle and immediately they rushed Fordge into his bedroom for the months to come.

"Cat go and get someone to make him some good tea!" Chrestomanci yelled at him. The young man flung the door open and stormed away.

"You," he then pointed to Darlah. "I want you to go to your own room, the housekeeper will take you there, and leave us here with Fordge, he will need some rest."

"But Mr. Chrestomanci," she protested, "this happens all the time, you don't need to take it so seriously."

"This is very serious. Something is wrong with him and it must be discovered, or else he'll go on being terrorized by thoughts as long as he lives!" he responded without a moments hesitation.

Darlah left feeling a bit left out and was directed by the housekeeper as said, to her room.

"Cheer up, he'll be fine." She said sounding more like she was commanding her then comforting her.

In fear of her life Darlah cheered up as well as she could in case the housekeeper (who told her that her name was Mrs. Nostrowm) would leave and come back with a broom to…. The thought was too horrible.

Back in Fordge room Cat was back with a wizard maybe thirty or forty, came back in and they gave to him drink a mug of some deep red liquid.

"Take it." Chrestomanci handed it to Fordge, but held on a little incase he couldn't support it. He could, so Chrestomanci let go. "There, that helps, doesn't it?"

Fordge nodded, not wanting to stop drinking the elixir (he assumed it was some kind of potion) that helped clear up his senses and calm him down almost completely.

"Thank you," he said breathing heavily. "You must show me how to make that remedy sometime in case I find someone I crisis. What is it?" he asked the man.

"This?" the man looked at him with a sideways glance. "It's chamomile tea." He told Fordge.

"Oh." Fordge tried not to look to embarrassed. "Right." He nodded, staring at the floor.

The man settled down with the empty mug in one had on a velvety blue chair.

Fordge looked around and noticed that practically everything was in blue. In fact, the window was made of blue glass. Even the candles lit in his room had a blue glow about them.

"Are you all right?" Gabriel asked him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He put his head in his hands and massaged his temples. "I'm sorry I worried you like that. Forgive me." He said straightening up.

"Forgive you? Hah! You have nothing to be ashamed of." Cat laughed.

"It was very, embarrassing." He said truthfully. "I don't usually worry like that in public." He said to the floor, not daring to look up at any of them.

He felt a hand underneath his chin pull his head up to look at him. It was the other man that had come with the tea.

"Young man, you shouldn't be embarrassed of something like that!" he said. "You are in a very unstable state and couldn't help it if you wanted too! What we want to do is help you get over what is bothering you. Is there anything you care to tell us?" 

Fordge looked around at all of the faces. They were so unfamiliar to him. He then looked at the man.

"What's your name?" he asked him finally.

The man looked over at Cat's sister, who squirmed uneasily and nodded.

"It's yours, after all." She told him.

"My name is Gabriel." The man answered Fordge.

"But her name is Gabriel," Fordge pointed to the girl.

"She was merely borrowing my name while you were picked up. She wanted to seem more important then old Janet." Gabriel replied.

"My name's stupid." She said to herself and shuffled her feet on the floor.

"Well," Fordge said to cover up his thinking.

"Well?" Chrestomanci asked.

"I will tell you as much as I can." They all looked relieved at this news, "but I will only tell this man here." He indicated to Gabriel (the real one).

"What?" Cat asked, shocked that Chrestomanci was refused to be spoken too.

"I do warn you whatever you tell me, I will tell the Master here." Gabriel pointed out.

"Exactly. I believe it would be better coming from someone else than me." Fordge admitted.

"What's wrong with everyone else?" Gabriel asked. "Why don't you pick one of them?"

"Oh! They're fine, I could tell any of them if I wanted. It's just. I don't know. I'll take turns I guess, and everyone will find out a part of my problem." 

"Tonight?"

"No, only some of it tonight. I'm…. I'm not sure how much I can say without being discovered. So it'll be in bits and pieces."

The others got up and left, except for Gabriel.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked after a moment's pause.

Fordge opened his pack and showed him…


	4. Chapter Four

IV

IV

'Dear Mr. Chrestomanci.

Today is my brother's birthday, and it is March 15th. I am writing because today makes it three years from the occasion.

My brother and I one night while our parents were out were playing some bridge. He was most likely cheating on me because it was the first time I'd ever played and he wasn't clear on the rules. I guess he was cheating then because he is always cheating me now.

We were gazing out the window when from across the field, came a person wearing a hooded cloak. They were holding a lantern that flashed different colors and were heading into the Haunted Woods.

The Haunted Woods are at the edge of our property, and are not only the most haunted in Ireland, they are the most haunted in the world.

Fordge was suddenly worried, if they entered the Woods, they would never be seen again, and, because no one outside it knows what is in there, something unimaginable could live inside.

He was very brave and told me he was going to stop them as he ran to grab his jacket. I told him the person could be a demon, but he said it was better to be safe then loose a life.

I watched fifteen minutes later, I am guessing because I didn't know time then, as he went after them, and to my horror, when the cloaked person entered the woods, not very long after Fordge went in after them.

I went to my room and cried and wondered how I should explain why he never came back to Mum and Dad. Then I heard the door open and left to go and tell our parents, when there in the hall was Fordge. It was I am guessing many hours later.

He tried to smile at me and I ran up and hugged him. I realized that in his hand was the flashing color lantern. He told me not to tell anyone about it, but I am telling you Mr. Chrestomanci. We think that the person who carries the lantern can enter and exit the forest whenever they please. Fordge told me he was going to destroy the lantern, because he never wanted to go back there. I'm not sure if he did or didn't.

After that he has lost all interest in what he used to love, like magic. He will make half-hearted attempts at it, and say it isn't interesting. But nothing is interesting to him. I am thoroughly worried about his health, and so I am writing you this letter.

I do hope you will listen to me, because he and I need help. I would like to come and live with you and be trained to use our magic at it's fullest power and work for you. My parents have agreed on letting us both go forever, if it will save him from the black hole he is getting sucked into, as they say. I do believe his magic is strong, and to show you how strong mine is, I will send this letter with some magic. 

Love,

Darlah Mackeely.

The letter did arrive by magic, Chrestomanci thought as he reread it as he waited for Gabriel with Cat, Janet, and Mrs. Nostrowm. It had flown into the castle (how he didn't know because of all of the guarding spells) and smacked his across the face as he was going down to breakfast.

There was a sound at the door, and Chrestomanci waved his hand, and it open.

Gabriel came in.

"Well? What was it?" Cat asked immediately.

"He," Gabriel paused for a moment. "He has been receiving letters from the Haunted Woods for the past three years." He admitted.

"What?" Mrs. Nostrowm demanded.

"Here they are. He says he's always carrying them with him in case someone were to discover them."

He pulled out a large pile of envelopes from his pockets and handed them to Chrestomanci. They were rubberbanded in the order they were received.

"You might want to read them sir. There are eighteen in all. One came every two months, he said." Gabriel indicated to the letters.

"Thank you Gabriel." Chrestomanci said, putting them in his suit coat pocket, which didn't bulge considering there were eighteen letters in it (obviously magic).

"Now, to the rest of us, I suggest we get some sleep, and not a word of this is to be spoken to his sister, Darlah. Janet, Cat? I want you two to go into Fordge's room when he is asleep and see if a message was left there by the Haunted Woods after Gabriel left it." He instructed the two semi siblings. They nodded and left the study of Chrestomanci's room.

At what most likely was three o' clock, the two went into the room and as quietly as they could searched it.

"There's nothing here," Cat said to his sister. 'We'd better go off and look at the letters we do have with our Uncle.

They turned to leave when Janet suddenly grabbed Cat's arm.

"Wait, there is a letter." She pointed to Fordge. In his sleep, without knowing, he was holding it in his hand.


	5. Chapter Five

I realized too late that I didn't close the quote of Darlah's letter in Chapter Four

I realized too late that I didn't close the quote of Darlah's letter in Chapter Four. Forgive me, I'm always technical like that.

-AW^M

V

"Look! Do you know who Gabriel is?" Darlah squealed the next mourning.

"Darlah, she isn't Gabriel." Fordge said quietly to her.

"Yes she is! She told us so!"

"Darlah, her name is Janet, and she only did that to impress us," he snapped. "Besides, the real Gabriel will be teaching us magic today."

"You just made up that her name is Janet!" she pouted. "I hate that horrid name!"

"We're Irish Darlah, it's inherited from the family to hate that name." Fordge said without looking up at her.

It was Friday and they were getting in a day of work before the weekend really did start. They were arguing all through breakfast about anything that came to mind because it was tradition, and their family strongly believed in tradition.

"Well, anyway, I know she's Gabriel." Darlah said as if that settled the matter.

"Have you stopped to think of why she has a boys name?" Fordge asked.

'Her parent's must have christened her before realizing that she was a girl." She said reasonably. Fordge rolled his eyes.

Cat came and sat down next to him suddenly, helping himself to some coffeecake. He looked very tired and seemed to struggle to stay awake.

"Are you all right?" Fordge asked him. "You seem to look as though you've been up all night."

"I have been." He said, resting his head in his hands. "And trust me, the night insisted on being long."

"I'm sorry, why were you up so late?" Fordge asked curiously. Cat smiled and started eating some of the cake and drinking some hot tea.

"Oh. I see. You were doing something about me." Fordge bit his lip and nodded. "You don't have to, I'm feeling perfectly well now." He smiled.

"You seem a lot more open, not so shut up." Cat observed, now ignoring the cake and eating some beautiful sausages.

"I do? Well, I guess I feel a lot more relaxed because I didn't get anymore letters." He said.

Cat's fork fell to the floor in a piercing clatter.

"Letters?" Darlah asked. "What letters?"

Cat and Fordge exchanged a look. Cat tried to look innocent.

"You didn't tell her?" Fordge asked in a hushed voice.

"Chrestomanci advised us not to!" he fired back.

"Well that's great! Now she has no idea what's going on!" Fordge said matter of factly. 

"What letters Fordge?" Darlah demanded again. Cat shot Fordge an evil look. He flung his arms up in the air showing his defeat.

"All right, all right." He mumbled. "Darlah, I can't tell you just now, I'm dreadfully sorry, but I can't." and he and Cat started to eat Casually again, as if nothing ever happened.

"You two!" Darlah said in exasperation. She then stood up and left the table.

"Humph," Cat mumbled through his food.

Classes were rather different. Along with Gabriel (Darlah was crushed to find she was wrong) there were two twins the same age as Cat (who was there also) helping out.

"We won't tell you our names," the girl said.

"You'll have to learn a revealing charm to find out." The boy said.

So, not knowing to call them but boy and girl, they made up names for them. They called the girl Elisa, and the boy Bob.

"BOB?" he demanded. "What a horrible name!"

"Well we can always call you Janet." Fordge offered.

Elisa and Bob were very helpful with the lessons, demonstrating on how to move objects, and one of their favorite spells that they taught was a hovering charm. They performed it with a mirror and showed how it wouldn't go back down unless they preformed the opposing charm: a descendent spell. Darlah had the most fun sliding all around the classroom while Gabriel yelled at her in horror while the mirror was still levitating.

Cat was fun to work with also because he was friendlier towards them, maybe because he had come to live at the castle when he was young, so he related things with them.

At the end of the day Darlah could hardly wait for Monday.

"And think, we'll be here forever!" she smiled happily."

Fordge climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. He liked the people here, but he couldn't see how they could help him.

But then again, he told himself, he really wasn't as locked up as he was the day before, or the years before that.

Maybe someday he would remember what it was like to be happy again.

Then maybe he could go home and live life the way he had lived it before.

A few hours later while he was asleep, Cat and Janet came in again. There was no letter.

"Look," Janet pointed to Fordge, who lay there quietly. But this time there wasn't a horror there.

"It seems so unnatural to see him smiling." Cat agreed.

And they left the room, and went to get the sleep they'd lost the past two nights.


	6. Chapter Six

VI

VI

The days went by quickly and the lessons became more and more advanced. Fordge tried his best and barely scraped through till Gabriel told them they were moving on to another spell. Fordge had noticed that Cat and Janet had been coming into his room for a while, he found them out on their fifth night and told them off.

"Really! How indecent, what would you do if I was sleeping in here NAKED?" he demanded. After that they'd stopped coming and searching his room.

At least to his knowledge.

"There must be something here Janet!" Cat said throwing things from Fordge's dresser onto the floor.

"Don't do that! He might realize that everything's not put back where he left it! Oh! Look at this mess! It's awful! Eugh!" Janet cried in anguish.

They had reserved to looking for anything that might be suspicious during Fordge's lessons. Letters, anything he might be hiding from them, whatever.

"Hey! What's this?" Cat stood up suddenly.

Janet looked at it. It seemed to be a colored lantern. Something inside it was shining even though it was daytime.

"Genesis." Cat said suddenly looked at Janet with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh! WE have to get to Uncle, quick!" they cleaned up with a restoring spell and left to go and get Chrestomanci. "Well, this certainly is interesting…" Chrestomanci said examining the lantern. "I wonder how he got an object from Genisis." He pondered out loud. 

"I don't think he knows what he's carrying around." Janet said. "This object could be very dangerous!"

"I know, but does he. I'm sure that he's not so shallow as to carry around a magical object he knows nothing about for three years!" Chrestomanci said puzzled. "Should we ask him about this?"

"No, I think it would be better if we-" Cat started to say.

"Wait!" Janet said cutting him off. "It has a note sticking outside of it!"

They pulled it out and read the notes message:

"Sticks and stones could break my bones, but I could always kill you. For he is mine to twist like twine and carry where I want to. If you could find one glimpse behind the mask I wear about. I'm sure the life of all your soul would quickly flicker out. I am not where you are to day I may be in a week, but back to front with three times two will leave you tongue in cheek.*"

"Another riddle like the rest! I can't fathom what they can mean!" Cat groaned and slopped down onto a couch with his legs hanging over the arm.

"I can't either, maybe he can though," Janet suggested.

"And have him risk another breakdown! Janet I'm surprised at you!" Chrestomanci cried in horror.

"Well remember I can't plan dubious things like Gwendolen, so how in the world can I unravel them?" she said glaring at him.

"Well we can just try and put the messages together the best we can and see what they can mean." Cat said, getting the others they had received that strangely instead of being directed towards Fordge, was directed to the owners of the manor.

Fordge looked around at Bob and Elisa. They were trying to show them how to wish something to them. So far Fordge had summoned nothing and Darlah had made Bob made my summoning his underwear or socks.

"Stupid girl!" Bob screamed as he ran out of the room to go and change back into his underclothes once again. Darlah and Elisa giggled.

"Don't you think he over reacts a bit?" Darlah asked Fordge's straight face.

"Try summoning his lunch next time, then I might be thoroughly amused."

Fordge had fallen back into one of his depressions again. After he had been doing so well, something was bothering him. The next day though, he was perfectly fine! Darlah couldn't understand it. One day he was so observitive, and the next had more energy then usual.

"Oh, it's just I felt a little tired, something must have been wrong with what I ate or maybe I had a small case of the flu." Fordge said when asked.

The weeks went by, and right when Darlah was sure nothing bad could happen again, he would lapse into a depression. It had happened eight times before it had stopped.

"Fordge, are you sure you're alright?"

"Of course." He would say smiling. "Why don't we try summoning Bob's brain. If he has any we'll know that he's finally lost his mind."

"No," Darlah said after stopping laughing. "That might severely hurt him.

"Yeah, we could always just summon him and use the Hovering charm we learned yesterday and make him really angry?"

"OKAY!"  
After a few hours of hovering "Bob" and then hiding from the furious man, it was time for sleep and they went up to bed and quickly fell asleep.

* There will be a letter at the beginning of every chapter from now on, starting with the first the receive and then going down in that order (we'll see the one here twice in other words)


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

Chapter Seven:

When I'm half from you it's thirties thyme,

Funny if our names should rhyme! For if they did,

You would be me,

I'm all alone on my family tree.

We share a last name both the same, and always end from whence we came.

I run and skip,

You linger and walk; I pass you thyme's,

But have no thyme to talk!

When I'm half of you it's at the end, then we start the race

Again and again.

We cannot beat ourselves of course,

Not in a boat or on a hoarse, we are what all will race each day, but no matter how fast,

We'll win anyway. We're now and never and in between,

Could you guess what THAT could mean? I'm, not to sure of what to say, but I can always

**__**

Fly away.

  * G

IT had been a tough day for all in the Chrestomanci castle a week later, a message was always finding it's way to Chrestomanci or the others there, all except Darlah and Fordge, which was most likely better for their health.

"I'm ready to tell you what happened in the forest." Fordge said, walking into Chrestomanci's study.

"You-you are? Are you sure!" Chrestomanci was awe struck. It had only been a few months and Fordge had recovered so much that he was going to tell him what happened! It was amazing.

"You have helped me, so I have decided to help you. It has to do with the birth of Genisis." Fordge said looking down at the floor. "I am assuming you have heard of it by now."

"Yes, I'm afraid. We have discovered Genisis not long ago. We're not to sure what it could be."

"I was at home, with Darlah she might have told you what happened, but she was to young to need to remember how horrible it was. I convinced her she had fallen asleep after I had seen someone heading off into the forest with a multicolored lantern." Fordge continued. "I said she must have dreamed what had happened, and eventually, she would forget the dream. But when she did, I was surprised. I didn't think such a thing could leave a person. No matter how innocent. I then locked up the memories inside of me, but in the doing so, it weakened my other eight lives-"

"Other eight lives!" Chrestomanci jumped up and stared at him. "But, there can't be THREE enchanters at the same time! You and cat are to close in age to be….." he stopped speaking.

"Yes, I have had nine lives all of my life, I knew it was strange but never told anyone, because I feared about it. I have all of them still intact. We'll, I used too. A few weeks ago the Genisis came to my dreams, and bargained a life off of me, I ended up loosing eight. I don't know where they are, but I know that tonight I will not be here tomorrow, so I have to tell you what has happened tonight."

Chrestomanci stayed up with him late that evening, listening to all that Fordge had to say, and some things started to make sense, some things were starting to connect in his mind. Fordge's story was almost over when Chrestomanci put his head in his hands during a long pause.

Fordge did not continue.

"Carry on, carry on." He said looking into the chair Fordge was in.  
But he wasn't there, and any trace of where he might have gone was in a single little form.

Another letter lay where Fordge had just been moments before.

So it's a drop of ending of the chapter, you'll just have to wait until Eight is up! Nayahhhhh! Well, anyway, I have to read a fic now, tata!

-Andrew


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

Chapter Eight:

Around a turn, another tune,

A phrase I won't forget.

And once you see the forests black,

To leave you'll never get.

By Genisis is here to guard

Our secrete at his side.

And now you have it in your hands,

The lanterns pulsing pride.

-G

Ten Years Later…

Fordge looked around him in the darkness, willing a light to burn, but none did. A light hadn't burned there for thirteen years. He was weary and frail. Would anyone EVER find him? No, he thought, I suppose not.

The surface he was sitting on (he wasn't sure whether it was stone or not) was uncomfortable and had been for the past ten years. He was twenty-five now, living most of his life in this blackness. He wasn't afraid when Genisis had brought him there, he knew he would be taken back to the same spot eventually, where the two of them met. That was when Fordge escaped with the lantern, and Genisis had not. He was forced to stay there until Fordge came back to release him, if he would ever release such a mad man. He sighed, then the dreams came, and he lost all those times, against his will, and surrendered over all nine of his lives to the crazed man.

The darkness was depressing. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't move, so even if he had wanted to try and find an exit, the ropes tying him kept him still, and magic didn't work here, especially when the life you were living didn't have magic. Only seven of his did. The first seven and the first six were already killed. Genisis had kept using them to try and regain the hidden power he had lost thirteen years ago, and kill Chrestomanci and the others. The lives had proved failure to his plans, and in the end died, not willing to give up their life energy to such a dark cause. Every month or so Genisis would come in and sneer at Fordge how weak he and his friends were getting, and that they would eventually crush him.

Fordge would always smile and laugh. He knew that they couldn't be weakened, not with Cat, Chrestomanci and Darlah each owning nine lives and enchanters magic.

This would enrage Genisis when he had heard this. Chrestomanci over the period of fifteen years had been gathering in items Genisis had created, and was trying to find him and kill him. Fordge had not destroyed the lantern when he had stole it from Genisis so many years ago in the woods, so that when he was taken back into the forest, someone could find it, and come and get him safely, as well as leave safely. That person had ended up as a troop of some of the worlds finest magic users available, if not the best.

So many years ago he had feared Genisis' return and the thought of being brought back to the place where he was nearly murdered.

The funny thing, Fordge had thought, so many times, was that he had killed Genisis that night instead, and how could he survive if he too, didn't have more then one life around?

The thought only frustrated Fordge. He knew he would escape someday, and he knew what he'd have to do when he did. He only knew how to kill Genisis, and what he was, and where he was… Or at least where he was for the moment.

Then again, he didn't have any magic at the moment. That meant he would have to gain back the rest of his lives. And when he did that, everything for the good would fall into place.

Well, it's getting somewhere, I decided I needed to make it go fast. It has quite a bit that needs to be told, and I don't want to bore you guys to death with a "Man, where'd the plot go, Fordge is eating overly described cheerio's for breakfast" kind of thought on your minds, well then, have fun!

-READ ON!


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:

Chapter Nine:

And don't turn back—

-Never—

Turn a-

Round to see who's—

-Follow-

--Ing-

You.

It might not be—

-Someone else-

But you're

Shadow---

-G

"It's like an anniversary." Cat said sadly, tracing a globe with a compose. "A very disgusting one, that is."

"Well at leastwe've been able to improve our magic." Darlah sighed. "We'll try again this year, I presume?"

"You sound as if you don't want to find your own brother!" Cat said looking at her in surprise.

"Oh, it's not that. It's just How can we ever find him! He could be on ANY of the worlds! You know it to Cat, and a finding spell won't work because of the strong magic covering him." Darlah lashed out irritably. 

"We can only keep trying." Cat snapped, feeling the same way as she did.

That evening at maybe eleven, they got all of their stuff together and walked out of the Chrestomanci castle, the Head Enchanter leading the way. 

Gabriel trailed behind him slowly a little tired. After him were Janet, then Darlah, and walking at the end, Cat.

The travel seemed to take long, though they were crossing an entire country in they space of an hour.

At twelve, Midnight, they found themselves in front of the Haunted Forrest in Ireland.

"Are we ready?"

"Yes, I believe so."   
"Darlah, do you have the lantern?"

"Yes Sir." She said showing it from under her black cloak.

"Good, everyone be very quiet."

They started to walk into the woods.


End file.
